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l GASTER. y No. 384,886'. Patented June 19, 1888.

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(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheen E. G. ASMUS.

GASTBR. l No. 384,886. Patented Jung 19, 1888.

l l INM f i A UNITED STATES EDWARD G. ASMUS, OF MILWAUKEE,

WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF IO CHARLES J. WALSER, OF SAME PLACE.

CASTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 384,886, dated J' une 191888.

Application sien June 2s, 1885.

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, EDWARD G. AsMUs, of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Casters; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull,clear, and eXact description of theinvention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,

which form a part of this specification.

The objects of my invention are, first, to dispense with the long spindle in common use with casters, and thereby to prevent the consequent splitting, breaking, and mutilation of the furniture to which the caster is applied;

second, to reduce the friction between the wheel-frame and its bearings, and-thereby facilitate its turning about the baseplate; third, to relieve the parts of the caster and its fast' enings from strain; fourth, to dispense with the central fastening between the wheel-frame and base-plate; and, fth, to reduce to a minimum machine work and fitting; and it consists, essentially, of certain peculiarities of construction and arrangement hereinafter specifically set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings like letters designate the same or similar parts in the sevf eral figures.

Figure l is a vertical medial section of my improved caster. Fig. 2 is alike View of a modification of the same, shown as applied to the section of a trunk. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the modiled form shown in Fig. 2, as seen from the under side. Fig. 4 is a Vertical me dial section of a modification of my caster, in which the flange on the wheel-frame projects inwardly, while that on the base projects outwardly, and the pivotal stud is formed on the wheel-frame; and Figs. 5 and 6 are like views of modifications, all illustrative of the essential features of my invention.

A is a base-plate, consisting of a plain metallic disk, provided on its under side with the conical stud a, and about the edge with suitable perforations for fastening the caster to the furniture.

B is a circular wall formed about its upper Serial No. 169,544. (No model.)

edge with the outwardly-projecting ange b, and about its lower edge with the inwardlyprojecting lange b2.

D is the wheel-frame, inclosed, when in position, by the wall B, and provided about its upper edge withwthe outwardly-projecting tlange d, and at the center of its upper face with a conical depression, d, to receive the stud a.

To cause the stud a to bear at its apex only in the wheel-frame D, and thereby prevent unnecessary friction, the conical depression in said wheel-frame is made more obtuse than said stud. By thus arranging the flange d to 6 5 r overhang the iiange b2 the wheel-frame is secured to the stationary base, and the central fastening between said wheel-frame and base is thus dispensed with. The strictly pivotal bearing upon which the wheel-frame turns 7o`` l does not require hand or machine work, and the cost of making the caster is thereby materially reduced. Upon the under side of the wheel-frame D are formed depending ears Ef E, between which the casterWheel F is,

mounted, as shown in Figs. l and 2, a little to one side of .the vertical axial line of said wheel-frame, so as to cause the caster to turn or shift, according to the movement of the` l, 8O

furniture, o.

Between the flange d'on the Wheelvframe and the flange b? on the circular wall B are loosely inserted small friction-disks c c, which are inclosed and retained in position -in an annular chamber formed by said flanges, the wall B, 85 l corresponding perforations in the baseplate gSf `A, and upset-at both ends so as to prevent the separation of the said parts.

In attaching the caster to the furniture, Ste., l screws 'may be inserted through these eyelets,

and the caster thereby rigidly secured in place roo and the parts thereof firmly locked together, as shown in Fig. l.

5o mode of operation of the caster.

The wheel-frame D is Ypreferably recessed or eut away on the upper side about its central i conical bearing, d, to render the casting lighter. In practical operation the superposed weight of the furniture, te., bearing through the central stud, a, is transmitted through the wheelframe D to the caster-wheel F, upon which it rests, and to the disk or disks@ on the opposite side of stud a. Said disks, forming acontinuous bearing about said central stud, a. for said wheel-frame, facilitates the shifting of the casterwheel' about said stud and relieves the easter and its fastenings of torsional strain.

In the modification shown in Figs. 2 and 3 Ythe wheel-frame is made broader and the caster-wheel let into the same, so as to bring the trunk or furniture nearer the floor. When the caster is made of' malleable iron, pins may be east upon the base-plate A, as shown in Fig. 2, and inserted th rough perforations in the ange b of Wall B (or vice versa) and upset at the protruding ends, so as to secure the part-s named together. to the furniture by means of other perforations formed in the fiange b and base-plate A, or in the base-plate A alone.

The caster is secured to trunksin the manner shown in Fig. 2 by means of a cleat, G, cut

away to receive the depending wall B, the

flange b, and the base-plate A, which are sandwiched between and snugly held in place .by the body of the trunk and said cleat G.

The flange b may be made continuous about the wall B, or formed in the'shape of ears b', as shown in Fig. 3, and the base-plate, if desired, made to conform thereto. The stud a may be applied to the wheel-frame D and bear upward against the base-plate A.

It is obvious that the fianges upon the baseplate and wheel-frame may be reversed, the flange on the Wheel-framemade to project inwardly and that on the base-plate made to project outwardly, without material effect upon the operation of my improved easter. v

Referring to Figs. 4 and 6,the iiange or ltrack b2 on the base-plate A is made to project outwardly, While the ange don the YWheel-frame projects inwardly, Without effect, however, upon the leverage of the wheel-frame or the In Fig. 4 the In this case the caster is fastened*y stud a, upon which the wheel-frame B is fulcru med and turns, is formed upon said wheelframe. In Fig. 6 the base -plate is formed without a depending wall, the track b2 being simply lhe projecting rim of' said base-plate.. In Fig. 5, showing t-he same general arrangement of theiianges as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the flange or track b2 is turned up at its inner edge to form a retainingwall for the friction rollers c c, while the wheel from B is formed without a depending wall adjacent to said frictionvrollers.

For the purpose of assembling the parts of the caster, the fiange d is formed, as shown in the construction illustrated in Figs. 4 and 6, separate from the wheel-frame D. to which it is attached by any suitable fastenings, and in the construction illustrated in Fig. 5 the track or fiange b2 is made, as shown by the drawings, separate from the base-plate A, to which it may be attached in a ,manner similar to that shown in Figs. 1 and 2, or by any suitable fastenngs.

The details of my invention may be variously modified without departing from its spirit.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a caster, the combination of a stationary base having an annular' track, a wheelframe provided with a flange overhanging and retaining it in connection therewith, apivotal stud upon which said Wheel-frame is fulcrurned and retained in its central position with reference to said base, a casterwheel journaled in said wheel-frame, and a friction roller or rollers interposed between said liange and base, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination, in a easter, of the baseplate A,wall B,formed separate therefrom and secured thereto by eyelets C, eyelets C, wheelframe D, and caster=wheel F, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' Y EDWARD G. ASMUS. Witnesses:

CHAs. L. Goss, GEORGE GoLL. 

